Google is rolling out an ever more AI-heavy search engine mode because 'power users want AI responses for even more of their searches'
If you've found yourself actually using Google's AI Overview system, you may like the new AI Mode Google has just introduced. If not, you've probably just let out a soft groan at how AI-heavy Google's software upgrades have been over the last few years.
A follow-up to the AI Overview system that Google introduced early last year, Google's AI Mode has been announced in a recent Google Blog. The blog says, "we’ve heard from power users that they want AI responses for even more of their searches". Effectively, it's a version of the AI Overview that is expanded with "advanced reasoning, thinking and multimodal capabilities". This is intended to be used for the "toughest questions" and means you can now ask follow-up queries to searches to elaborate on information or give a rationale.
It is being powered by a custom version of Gemini 2.0, Google's latest LLM AI model which is designed to give users the option to ask more nuanced questions or compare options from the search bar. As of today, Google AI Premium users will start getting invites to test out the new AI Mode. Google AI Premium is free for a month but then costs $19.99 a month, and comes with 2 TB of storage, as well as access to advanced versions of Google's AI suite.
The Google blog attempts to explain what the new AI Mode can do with the example query, "What's the difference in sleep tracking features between a smart ring, smartwatch and tracking mat”, following which further questions can be asked.
This all comes after the announcement that AI Overview will be further honed with the launch of Gemini 2.0. Given that these answers all come from articles and human-made resources, the new AI Mode still links back to where it gets its information from.
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As always, it's worth noting that you should check these sources out and try to verify information for yourself. AI can be a good tool for compiling information, but it can be prone to hallucinations and can take very strong opinions on the information it grabs, so going into it with a pinch of salt is necessary. Just last month, an educational company accused Google's AI summary of leading to a 'hollowed-out information ecosystem of little use and unworthy of trust' in its lawsuit, so responses to Google's move into search AI search are proving to be a contentious one.
As this is only rolling out via internal and "trusted testers", we don't yet know when we can expect the full rollout if it does come one day. The announcement comes with a disclaimer for results, stating:
"As with any early-stage AI product, we won’t always get it right. For example, while we aim for AI responses in Search to present information objectively based on what’s available on the web, it’s possible that some responses may unintentionally appear to take on a persona or reflect a particular opinion."
We have yet to test this new AI Mode for ourselves, but we can expect feedback to come out at some point in the near future.